blog

Check out this short video of Live Like A Stoic Week held annually at SRU.

Stoic philosophy, developed by the ancient Greeks, ponders questions about life and how people should treat others, while ridding oneself of emotions in order to prevent suffering. As part of the event students, faculty, staff and members of the community read and work through Stoic texts in thinking about how to better overcome the personal and professional obstacles that may arise in the work and educational environments.

Live Like A Stoic Week, initiated by Andrew M. Winters, Instructor of Philosophy, recently celebrated its third year running at SRU as part of October National Arts & Humanities Month.

This annual event is sponsored by the SRU Department of Philosophy, Philosophy Club, and the Stone House Center for Public Humanities.

Here’s what our very own SRU students had to say about the experience:

“Contemplating Stoic philosophy with my fellow students and professors has allowed me to reflect on some of the most important questions that are easy to lose sight of: what is it that's most important to me in my life? What kind of person am I, and what kind of person do I want to be? What is in my control, and what can I do to change it? What does it mean to be a human being, a member of a University, a town, a nation, and the cosmos, and what bearing does it have on how I should act? Exploring these questions with others before the sun rises at the Old Stone House has been a novel, invaluable experience that I will never forget.”~ Spencer Knafelc (philosophy and psychology)

“Live Like a Stoic for a Week has given me the opportunity to take time out of a chaotic schedule, allowing me to take one step back to focus on the meaningful things in life; things like community and the cultivation of character. It taught me not to sweat the little things, to recognize what is within my immediate control and what things are not, allowing me to take life as it comes while making the best of whatever it presented to me. This all came about thanks to Dr. Winters who lead fellow students, community members, and I in exploring the ways of the cosmos in a unique setting, providing me with an invaluable experience that I won't soon forget.”~Rena Alfonso (environmental studies and philosophy)